Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Hindutva In American Schools: Links

Some excellent posts by bloggers on the recent controversy in California over attempts by Hindu groups to have their version of Indian history incorporated into school textbooks (see the Christian Science Monitor). While the California school board initially approved changes earmarked for them by the Vedic Foundation and the Hindu Education Foundation, after a concerted effort by academics the changes have been reversed. See, academic expertise does matter for something.

Pharyngula is definitely smoking - close to a hundred comments on Hindutva and its implications. But I was a little disappointed that PZ Myers based his entire post on the outrageous scientific claims which incidentally were NOT the bone of contention in the debate over the curriculum. They are claims which were supposedly posted on the website of one of the Hindu advocacy groups. I guess every blog must have an agenda - otherwise, why bother?

I don't understand why its okay for Jewish and Muslim groups to accentuate the positive and toning down the negative, but it is such a big deal if Hindu groups try to do the same. Trying to change Ashoka's tolerance was "unusual" for the time to "usual" is disputed. Apparently the rest of people during Ashoka's time were brutes.

And are all the parents in Fairfax right-wingers? And what about the poor Hindu kids who have explain their religion to their classmates?

To me the kicker is while Mr. Bajpai (that right winger), who wanted to project Hinduism in positive light, says that Harvard Sanskrit Professer Mr. Witzel, who took it upon himself to fight the apparent changes, doesn't understand anything, Mr. Witzel says Mr. Bajpai is mixing religion with scholarship!

Isn't this a middle school text with probably few pages on Hinduism (i.e. about a religion)? Mr. Witzel wants to do a scholarly work in a school textbook?

The whole thing is blown out of proportion by the ancient India study academics.